Rice to meet senators whose support she covets

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice is meeting with key lawmakers Tuesday in what could be her final pitch for their support if she is nominated to be the next secretary of state.

Officials said the discussions will focus on her much-maligned explanations of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. But Rice is also clearly auditioning for America's top diplomatic job.

Despite lingering questions over her comments five days after the Benghazi attack, Rice has emerged as the front-runner on a short list of candidates to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton. But even as Republican opposition to Rice appears to be softening, she still has work to do to ensure enough GOP senators are willing to back her potential nomination.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.